"People who want to bribe me use middlemen to help them. Those middlemen are either wealthy or powerful and I dare not offend them," Wang told the local court in his own defense Thursday.
He also told the court that he was not the only one in the brigade who took bribes.
Wang said that he didn't have the authority alone to deal with construction requests. Wang said he returned 1 million yuan to three people after their illegal structures were demolished.
"It's true that many employees in the civil service are taking bribes. Whenever you become one, you have to take bribes so you can survive," said Jiang Dehai, a professor from the East China University of Political Science and Law.
"But it can't be used as an excuse by officials to escape from being punished," he told the Global Times, adding that where there is bribery, there are dirty connections that harm society.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling
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